In its current incarnation, the "whites-only" scholarship contains several prohibitive clauses. Only white men and women hailing from Iowa are eligible for the grant. In addition, potential recipients are not allowed to study law, medicine, dentistry, veterinary surgery or theology, and must move back to Iowa for at least two years after graduating, The Daily News reports.

The funny thing is Iowa is one of the whitest states in the union. Making it an "Iowan only" scholarship pretty much already made it "whites-only."

Well yeah, a white's only scholarship is bigoted. These however, are not:

Dr. Robert E. Campbell Memorial Scholarship for an American minority student in journalismGruner + Jahr Magazine Scholarship for female students interested in magazine writingPhyllis and William Michelfelder Scholarship for a female print studentTrudi Stamm Scholarship, for a woman from New York StateWestinghouse Broadcasting Co Scholarship in memory of the late LaRue Heard Johnson ('68) for minority studentsJacobo Timerman Scholarship in memory of Jacobo Timerman (for a Latin American student)Sylvia L. Wilson ('85) Memorial Scholarship, for an African-American woman specializing in print journalism

That's just the Columbia University Journalism school./there were no "whites only" journalism school scholarships, that's bigoted, remember?

Donnchadha:dj_bigbird: Does Columbia have scholarships for African-American students? Hispanic?

That's not "discriminating based on race", that's "empowering a minority".

Which is a stupid argument... Pendulums are supposed to swing both ways. A minority group should have no right to complain about whitey getting his own scholarship if they get to have one for their particular group.

I wonder how it would have played out if a black student applied for a "whites only" scholarship (or vice versa)? AFAIK, there's not much legal or scientific basis for defining race, so would they just let it go? Would some bureaucrat get the job of saying "I can't prove anything about your race, but I am reasonably confident that you are disqualified by your melanin levels"?

Wonder if she has any descendants. Have read about similar scholarships / endowments in the past. When the universities try to change them, the descendants claim breach of contract and try to grab the money.

lennavan:Well yeah, a white's only scholarship is bigoted. These however, are not:

Dr. Robert E. Campbell Memorial Scholarship for an American minority student in journalismGruner + Jahr Magazine Scholarship for female students interested in magazine writingPhyllis and William Michelfelder Scholarship for a female print studentTrudi Stamm Scholarship, for a woman from New York StateWestinghouse Broadcasting Co Scholarship in memory of the late LaRue Heard Johnson ('68) for minority studentsJacobo Timerman Scholarship in memory of Jacobo Timerman (for a Latin American student)Sylvia L. Wilson ('85) Memorial Scholarship, for an African-American woman specializing in print journalism

That's just the Columbia University Journalism school.

Isn't that interesting because, according to the TFA, Columbia is claiming in court that "Columbia University is now prohibited by law and University policy from discriminating on the basis of race." So, I guess Columbia has now judicially admitted that it violates the law, assuming it is handing out those scholarships that you listed.

In 1920, there were probably very few if any African Americans in Iowa. The intent of the restriction to caucasians is perfectly clear: They didn't want Indians to get any money. Why does everyone assume it's there because of blacks?

Many scholarships are supported by a private backer or two, often the estate of some rich person. If that person/group/estate want to make a fund to help students of some kind (be they majority or minority), I feel they should be allowed.

While I understand that statistically many groups are disadvantaged over others, and in the service of trying to "equalizing" everyone it is "better" to target disadvantaged persons, that does not mean you should not be allowed to help out people of a traditionally/statistically advantaged group.

All the same, I think scholarships should be based on need and merit only, myself.

/white male who received scholarships due to coming from poor family and having good grades//just because some white men are the richest and most powerful does not mean all whites and males are rich and powerful.

cfroelic:In 1920, there were probably very few if any African Americans in Iowa. The intent of the restriction to caucasians is perfectly clear: They didn't want Indians to get any money. Why does everyone assume it's there because of blacks?

Back in 1920, there was only one black man in Iowa. Steve.

But Lydia C. Roberts didn't want to be rude and make an "Anyone but Steve" scholarship, so she had to go a little more vague/broad and go white's only.

cfroelic:In 1920, there were probably very few if any African Americans in Iowa. The intent of the restriction to caucasians is perfectly clear: They didn't want Indians to get any money. Why does everyone assume it's there because of blacks?

Black people are so mad! But then again, you would be too if your pants never fit!

I would be ticked off if somebody messed with my bequeathed scholarship fund, and how I dictated it be doled out. If for instance I am offering a scholarship to only a select group of people with larger than normal genitalia, I would bloody well expect every applicant to show their undercarriage to the people I trusted with that fund. Those who do not meet the specific criteria, are just shiat out of luck and will have to beg for money elsewhere.

Also, when you find a better school, the scholarship finding gets done for you, and nobody splits hairs over the qualifications - because there are so damn many.

Columbia should just hand out the scholarship to whomever they want and if anyone objects simply cite Shelley v. Kraemer, 334 U.S. 1 (1948) which basically said that there was nothing that stopped private parties from MAKING racially restrictive covenants on real estate (a clause in a home sale agreement stipulating that the house couldn't be re-sold to a non-white person), but for the courts to ENFORCE them would require the court to violate the 14th amendment and so they would not even hear lawsuits arising from violations of those clauses